The words of Apostle Paul to the Corinthian Church. He was letting them know believers must defer to God for all things. This requires the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer. Without Him, a person is confined to what their physical eyes can see. When that happens choices and decisions are subject to emotions, experience, expectations, etc. Personal experience or insight cannot know the unknown or the unknowable. You might succeed in the flesh and still be a spiritual failure. On the other hand, God is sovereign, He knows all, and His judgments are sure. He sees the beginning and end of all things. He is not limited by time or space. He can’t be blind-sided, exploited, or fooled like we can, which means He can’t fail and He can’t lose.
To walk by faith and not by sight is to forgo conventional eyesight and rely on spiritual insight. Spiritual insight is dependent on faith in God’s will. It’s not blind faith. It’s faith based on the evidence of God’s person and performance. He provides us with evidence of His sovereign ability so we can willingly put our trust in Him.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)
When we walk by faith we accept His provision, His timing, and His direction. It means we set aside our personal expectations, preferences, and will for His. We choose to accept His choices. We desire to meet His expectations. We want to fulfill His will. We learn to be content with His provision and choose not to blame, complain, or whine. We seek Him in times of difficulty, pain, and uncertainty rather than defer to self or the world. In those times God offers comfort, peace, and the ability to endure.
In short, to walk by faith we have to deny ourselves and take the path He leads to instead of the path we want to take. Yes, taking His path may cause us to encounter confusion, frustration, loss, or even pain. But in the end we will become stronger in our faith, more content in our physical circumstances, and more confident in our service.
When we walk by faith we have everything to lose (that is worldly and useless) and we have everything to gain (that is godly and eternal).
I once was blind but now, I see!
To Him who gives sight to the blind be all glory, all honor, and all majesty.